Candle Light
by DarkTrappedDesire
Summary: They're both royalty, but could their lives be too opposite for love to come true? Warnings: BL - boy love, gender-bent ATWFJ, partial-stalker Marshal Lee. Don't like, don't read. Review to tell me what you think about the story - and tell me what should happen! ((Rating may change))
1. Chapter 1

Another night, waking up from the feeling of being watched. It was always subtle, but not enough to let me sleep. I sighed, getting up from the pink bed where I always slept and looked around the room, doing the now usual routine. Check the bathroom, check the closet, check the hall-way, check the window.. Nothing. Again. Like every other night.

Prince Gumball sighed, looking in the mirror to see him in his usual pajamas - a T-shirt that Marshal gave him and his pink striped bowers. He stared for a minute before sighing again, raking his hand through his bubblegum hair and turning back to his bed. Just before the mirror was out of his sight, he saw a wisp of black in the corner of it and he stared for a minute. "Who's there?" he asked without turning around.

There was another wisp and no answer, so he began to get antsy. He could still feel himself being watched but he couldn't tell where it was coming from. Gumball got the courage to face the intruder and spun around, but once he did a wall of air hit him and he couldn't distinguish the figure that jumped out of his window. "Wait!" he called, running over to it and leaning out, searching the ground for the victim of gravity. When he found nothing below him, he was both relieve and worried at the same time. _Where did they go? And who were they..?_

Prince Gumball shook his head, retreating into his room and closing the window along with the curtains. "Don't worry about it, Gumball. Just get some sleep.." The prince went back to his bed silently and crawled under the sheets, making sure he didn't have the feeling of being watched again before closing his eyes and drifting off into a dreamy realm of Ooo.

* * *

Prince Gumball went about his day, doing royal duties and dealing with the banana guards with ease - though he was quickly growing tired of them. He'd been doing his duties for such a long time, it was hard to tell if he was getting duller or the world around him was. It was probably both, he concluded, retreating to his room when he finally got a few minutes to himself for him to relax.

He closed the door behind him as he walked in, blowing a bit of hair out of his face. He was about to walk over to the bed and drop down when he noticed something flickering out of the corner of his vision. Turning to see what it was, he discovered that it was a candle he'd never seen before. It had been lit in his absence and there was a rose sat beside it - half the color grayed to make it look more elaborate. The Prince was wary of it at first, but decided that it would be fine to at least pick up the rose.

The candle didn't seem too dangerous either, seeing as it had a crisp scent that filled his room. It was a nice change from the smell of everything being sugary and nearly too sweet to smell good anymore. There wasn't a card or anything else left beside it, so it had him wondering who would leave something like that in his room when he wasn't there to accept it. _It must have been one of my suitors. Peppermint Maid must have accepted it on my behalf and placed it in my room since she's busy making meals for everyone.._

Prince Gumball sat on his bed, twirling the rose in his hand thoughtfully. _Whichever suitor left it must have wonderful taste.. They might even be interesting - unlike most of the gussied-up ladies that throw themselves at me whenever I leave my kingdom._ He went over a list of girls he already knew - since it was a good place to start - but always ended up at Fionna. _Fionna isn't really the person to leave gifts like this though. She would ask me on a date by inviting me for a hunt, or to go explore a cavern with her. Hmm.. It must have been Cake doing it on her behalf. That cat is always trying to get us together._

He'd thought that the action from Fionna (or Cake, most likely) would have made him happy, but it did quite the opposite. He scowled at his own indifference and tossed the half-red rose onto the end of the bed. "Why can't I be like every OTHER prince and just be happy getting a beautiful wife!? All the other princes are throwing themselves around just as much and I can't even find a girl who keeps my attention for a few globbin' seconds!" he yelled in exasperation, dropping his pink head into his equally pink hands.

After a few moments there was a knock on his door and he called for them to let themselves in. It turned out to be Peppermint Maid. "Are you alright, Prince Gumball? I heard shouting.." she said in her usually motherly voice. The Prince couldn't stop himself from forcing a smile.

"Yes, I'm quite alright. Just working through some things in my head is all. Being a Prince is rather frustrating, it seems.." he only half-explained. He knew that his maid cared but he couldn't find it in his heart to worry her any more than necessary. Peppermint Maid nodded from the doorway.

"Do you want me to draw you a bath, Prince? They're quite relaxing to you, if I remember correctly." she offered, taking a step in. Prince Gumball thought about it for a moment before shaking his head.

"No thank you, Peppermint. I'd just really like a bit more time to myself. Can you reschedule my next appointment for sometime tomorrow?"

Peppermint Maid nodded in understanding. Just before she left, she looked at the candle and rose he'd been given. "Prince, where on Aaa did you get those?" The Prince's eyes widened for a second before he forced another smile.

"Just from another secret admirer, I suppose." He shrugged so she wouldn't worry again, and she nodded before going to carry out her agenda. Once she was done, he picked up the rose again to marvel at it. "Where did this come from..?"


	2. Chapter 2

A vampire king with grayed skin and sharp fangs floated through the air, umbrella over his head as he debated what to do that day - having no plans until night time. He could hang out with Fionna and Cake to go on an adventure but he was still mentally exhausted from the last one. "Who the heck thinks it's a good idea to wake a 1,000 year old draconian venom-snake - when every single challenge told them not to? Seriously, it took like 2 days to save their butts from gettin' chomped.." he muttered to himself, looking around.

He wondered where he had floated to during his time spaced out and found himself at the gates of the Candy Kingdom. "Huh. Doesn't seem like a bad idea to visit Bubba." With that, the vampire king floated right past the banana guards stationed at the front - hearing them ask for him to play them a song. He huffed and ignored it, going higher in the sky to avoid it happening with the rest of the Candy-folk. He used his powers to turn invisible and snuck into the front room of the kingdom - looking around for his acquaintance.

He'd never hated the Prince, unlike most people's thoughts, he just loved bugging him and scaring him too much to allow himself the pleasure of just chatting. In all honesty, Marshall probably liked his royal acquaintance a bit too much. _Why else would I give him a gift and force myself to not eat the rest of it?_ When he thought about it, his un-dead stomach growled loudly - reminding him that he hadn't fed in a while either. _And I should probably find the kitchen on my search for Bubba.._

Marshall floated around for a little while, looking through floors of rooms and wondering why he had so many. "Dude, even my dad doesn't have this many rooms in his castle! .. Well, my dad probably doesn't expect a lot of people to visit the Night-o-sphere." Marshall shrugged as he muttered to himself, wondering when he would cut that out. "I do live alone with my cat. If I don't talk to myself who else am I supposed to talk to?"

The vampire realized he still had his umbrella opened and he closed it, tucking it under his arm as he kept looking around. His stomach growled once more and he hissed. "Will you shut the glob up?" he grumbled, then spotted the Prince walking down the corridor. He shut up instantly and set his umbrella down beside a potted mint-plant - waiting for his time to jump. Once Prince Gumball had walked passed him a bit, he made his move. Jumping at the Prince's back and yelling "Boo!", he started laughing with joy when the other royal screamed and spun around with a look of near-horror.

"Marshall! Where the glob did you come from!?" the pink prince shrieked, still on the floor where he'd been pushing. Marshall shrugged.

"My mom?" he joked, smirking down at him from where he was floating.

"Well, don't do that again! I have princely activities to finish and you're globbing up my schedule." Prince Gumball huffed, standing up on his own and brushing dirt off of his clothes. The vampire just shrugged.

"I probably have some to do too - but, ya know, I came all the way here to visit. The least you could do is give me a tour of your castle." Marshall tried to look hurt, but he couldn't stop his smirk from coming back. The prince wasn't as amused.

"Marshall, we both know that you've explored every inch of this place with or without my permission. You're the last person that would need a tour." Marshall shrugged, watching the prince turn away from him and keep walking. Without anything to do, and not exactly wanting to stop their interaction yet, he floated beside him on his back.

"So what ya' up to, Bubz?" he asked, seeing Prince Gumball side-eye him.

"Call me Prince Gumball. We've been over this, Marshall." he huffed, then sighed. "I'm going to meet some suitors. Peppermint Maid said I should be looking into getting a queen soon for my kingdom's benefit." Marshall's smirk fell and he ended up bumping harshly into a wall. He slid down until he was on the floor - then stood up instead of floating. For some reason, the thought of Bubba finding a suitor irritated him to no end.

_I knew he'd have to get one at some point. I almost had to when I was back home but that was different.. Why does this bother me so much?_ The vampire king walked alongside the prince with hands in his pockets. "Bubz, you're still young! You should free - go to parties, mingle with people when you're not in uniform, at least DATE first. Getting married isn't supposed to be on your agenda yet!" Marshall had intended it to come out like he was persuading him to accompany him to a party - which he wouldn't mind either - but it ended up as though he was scolding the prince.

_I'm not father - or his friend even - why is he making me this way?_

Marshall looked up to see Prince Gumball watching him with a confused expression. "Why would you care? You're not the one with a kingdom to run - and you're certainly not the one that needs to think of all their people instead of just himself. I would be awfully selfish to be doing any of that when I have duties to attend to, Marshall." Even as he said this, the Prince looked almost lost. It took the king a moment to realize, but when he'd given Bubba his options - the pink prince looked like he desperately wanted to agree.

He started floating again and went in front of him, crossing his arms. "Bubz, it's not selfish - it's keeping yourself sane! If you do nothing but what you're supposed to then you're just going to be angry all the time and even you're suitors will be afraid to set you off. How are you supposed to run a kingdom when you don't know how to let yourself have fun with your people? Do you even know how regular people work anymore?" Marshall looked in his eyes as he tried to persuade him.

Prince Gumball shifted his gaze to the floor and looked like he was debating life or death at the moment, before nodding. "I.. suppose you're right. Thank you, Marshall."

The vampire king grinned again, patting Bubba on the shoulder. "No prob, Bubz. Speaking of letting loose - there's a party on the north side of my cave on Saturday night. Now that you came to your senses - wanna come with me?" Prince Gumball looked him in the eyes again with a small smile.

"Sounds engaging.." he agreed, though Marshall rolled his eyes.

"And cut it out with the proper stuff - if you do that at the party then everyone around you is going to be awkward too! I'll come get you around 8, kay?" The Prince nodded again.

"Okay - but I should really go do my duties now. I'm already late.." Just as Bubba finished talking, Marshall's stomach growled and alerted them both. Gumball laughed while Marshall looked grumpy. "I'll make sure to get you a fruit-basket first, though. It's **really **the least I could do."


	3. Chapter 3

_Why did I invite him? WHY did I invite him!?_

Marshall floated around his room like he was pacing. "Sure, he's a prince - I'm a king. It could work.. Ugh! Why am I so stupid!? Of course it wouldn't! I come out to him, give him some flowers - he'll be disgusted!" The vampire looked over at the red and pink bouquet he'd gotten for obvious reasons.

Sometime in the last few nights, floating invisibly alongside Bubba while he'd tried to figure out what their relationship to each other was, he'd decided that he DID like the prince a bit too much. It was unsettling that he could possibly have a crush on the same person he'd loved to tease and scare for so long already, but anything was possible, right? At least, he'd thought so until he came to the realization he might be the only one of them having this conflict - and worse that this might mean he's really gay and Gumball could possibly be homophobic.

He scowled and went back to his mirror, checking his outfit. He'd put on a black shirt and skinny-jeans, a grey pin-stripe vest and a red tie. He slipped on some black suede shoes and called his senses as he checked himself.

"He's straight anyway, Marshall. He thinks you invited him as a friend and you'll keep it that way.. Just friends.. Awkward acquaintances.. This is gonna be harder than I thought." he sighed, slapping his own forehead lightly.

He felt something small and soft tap his leg and he looked down to see Schwabelle at his feet, looking up at him with the tip of it's tail flicking. He smiled lightly as he reached down to pet her between the ears. "Yeah, I know Schwabby. I just can't tell him yet. He already sorta hates me.. Maybe I don't even like him - this could just be a phase. I've had tons of 'em.. Yeah, let's go with that."

The vampire king looked up when there was a knock on his door. He took a deep breathe and checked himself one more time before going to open the door. Marshall stopped himself from letting his breath catch when he saw Gumball.

"Heya Bubz. I thought I was picking you up. It's only 7:45.." the king said, glancing at his clock. The Prince seemed nervous, but Marshall chalked that up to him going out for once and not being on time either.

"Really? I thought I was walking slower than that." The Prince was dressed in the shirt Marshall had given him as a present and some jeans that were a dark purple - probably the closest he could get to black - and some hot pink converse. "I apologize for coming so early, I just thought it would be more appropriate to come here on my own since the party was closer."

The Prince's words snapped Marshall back to reality and he nodded, scratching his neck. "Yeah - uh, I guess that makes sense. C'mon in, we don't need to leave right now since the party starts at 8:30." He moved out of the door-way so Gumball could pass through before shutting it. He was already feeling more relaxed with his interest there, he just needed to keep from coming off too weird and he'd be alright.

Before he could even turn around, Bubba yelled and Marshall flew over to him quickly. "Bubz, what's wrong!?" He stopped when he saw the Prince weilding a broom against his poor cat - then dove for Schwabelle and took her in his arms when the pink candy-prince tried to hit it. "Dude, what the glob is wrong with you!? This is my friend!" He glared at Prince Gumball for a minute while the Prince gave him a look of disbelief.

"So, what- you're friends with zombies now? Marshall, that's not safe!" the Prince countered, staring at the cat in his arms like it was pure-evil. He was even holding the broom in a defensive position now. Marshall gave a small huff and raised a dark brow.

"Seriously? You're THAT afraid of my cat? Schwabelle wouldn't hurt a fly - let alone you or your candy-people." Marshall and Gumball kept looking at each other for a moment before Marshall shook his head and floated over to the Prince. The other tried to back away a bit, but Marshall grabbed his hand and rubbed it all over Schwabelle's muzzle. "See? If she wanted to eat you, she would have at least bitten you by now. She's cool, man." With that, the vampire king set her down and petted her before moving over to the couch and floating above it.

Gumball looked at the cat for a moment longer before making a small 'hm..' and walking over to Marshall. The Prince looked nearly guilty as he sat down on the uncomfortable thing. "Sorry Marshall. Zombies and candy-people don't usually mix.." he tried to explain, but the vampire was already over it.

"So. You kept the shirt I got you? I thought you threw it away after me teasing you so much.. Never wore it." Marshall noted, studying the strings of his axe-guitar as he picked it up from the side of the couch Bubba wasn't on. He honestly never expected to see the shirt ever again the moment he'd given it to Gumball for his birthday a few years back - but here it was again. He'd already seen Gumball in it quite a few times since he'd began watching over him as the "night guard" as Marshall would refer to it if asked honestly.

Marshall noticed Gumball looking up at him from the corner of his eye, and the prince seemed surprised. "I wear it all the time - for pajamas. My people like your music but would still find it odd for me to enjoy such a thing as well, I'm sure." The vampire king rolled his eyes.

"Give your people a bit more credit, Bubz. I bet they'd think it's cool. Like me!" he bragged unintentionally, chuckling a bit before he noticed the Prince's small pout. _Guess it's easier to act natural than I thought it would be. This is just how he makes me._ Marshall smiled more at that and turned away a bit to hide it. He glanced at the clock and noticed it was already 8:05, cursing himself for talking non-sense so long.

"We better get goin'. I'll fly us over there so we're on time." Marshall announced, setting down his axe-guitar where it had been before and floated towards the door. Before he got there, he heard Gumball speak behind him.

"Marshall, where did you get these flowers?"

_Shit.._


	4. Chapter 4

The Prince stood beside a coffee table, looking at the flowers that were in a neat bouquet. They were red and pink, but some of the color had been grayed on a few petals to give them the same look as the ones he'd found in his room. _Was he the one that left them? He wouldn't do something like that for me, though.._ Gumball looked back at Marshall, hoping for an answer.

The vampire looked a bit surprised from the answer, and there was something else in his eyes that the Prince couldn't distinguish from across the room. It could have been anxiety, but there was no way to be sure. "I got them myself. A man's gotta eat - even if it's somethin' girly like flowers." the vampire blew off, back to his smirking self. The Prince wasn't too convinced about it - after all, Marshall looked a bit too shocked a couple seconds ago for it to just be an unexpected question. It was almost like guilt, but not quite.

He gave a silent sigh, knowing he wouldn't get a straight answer from his acquaintance unless the vampire wanted to actually talk, so he just gave up and set the flowers back down - curiosity gnawing at his brain. "We should get going. Want to be fashionably late as always, right Marshall?" he inquired, smiling a bit to take the edge off of them both. He headed back towards the door and out to the North so they could have a fun night.

* * *

Most of their walk had been in silence, created even deeper by how silently Marshall could float - since he saw walking was for chumps. That had the Prince pouting until they got to their destination, but he soon lost it once he saw where they were going.

The place looked innocent enough on it's own - just being a rather large run-down building, but with punks and various degrees of fright-lovers running around and having a 'fun' time, the place looked rather menacing to the untrained Prince. He was used to having balls and royal-outings, not raves with a bunch of rockers that looked like they could hand his candy-ass to him in a matter of moments.

To say he was nervous was a dramatic under-statement. A hand rested on his shoulder and for a moment he jolted, thinking one of the punks would actually portray his thoughts just from how out-of-place he was amongst them - but he found the grayed hand familiar and belonging to Marshall, who was giving him a thumbs-up when he looked up. "You'll be fine, Bubz. Just relax, enjoy yourself and forget about the kingdom for one night. I'll make sure you're in mint condition by the time we're out of here."

Gumball looked at the crowd in front of him that was romping the house and then back at Marshall, nodding with a small smile. "Alright. I trust your judgement.." he mumbled, knowing that this was Marshall's environment so he should leave the decisions up to the master. The vampire cleared his throat, floating ahead steadily with Gumball at his heels, looking around cautiously every couple moments but seeming much more relaxed than at the first glimpse of their arena.

They finally made it inside and Marshall was instantly swarmed by a few rambunctious girls - along with a couple boys - who were fans of his, asking him about the latest songs. Marshall played it a lot cooler than his encounter with the candy-people about it, but Gumball could still see he was annoyed. The Prince tried to stay close to him, but with the group moving frantically around him, he'd gotten pushed back to where he could barely see Marshall anymore. His hesitance returned to him, but he tried to trust that Marshall knew where it was and wasn't safe to party.

_I can relax. I'll have fun like he said - or I'll at least give this place the benefit of the doubt and try to._ Prince Gumball steeled himself and nodded absently, glancing at the group once more, seeing Marshall laughing along to a joke he'd missed, before turning away and slipping over to where drinks were being given out. He ordered a soda for now, already a jump from the tea he usually drank, and sipped it as he tried to pinpoint where the music was coming from. He was mildly surprised when he saw a live band growling into the mike and making incessant noise on their poor instruments, though it didn't sound too bad. Irritating - but not bad.

He took a gulp of his soda before setting it down on the counter. The Prince left it, drifting towards where people were 'dancing'. More like jumping around and jabbing into each other, but dancing none the less. He tried to join it - watching a certain pair of teens who seemed to be having the best time they've ever had in their lives. Gumball was almost getting it down when the music stopped and a new gang went up to play.

They were soon shooed off the stage by who the Prince assumed was the runner of the party, and then the same man announced the arrival of their main entertainment. "Marshall Lee, everybody!" the man exclaimed, soon being drowned out by the crowd who was cheering in no unison what-so-ever for the vampire to take the stage.

_This must be one of his gigs._ The Prince found himself smiling, cheering along with them, though a tad quieter to not draw attention. He hadn't been present to any of the other royal's events since a birthday party a few years back when everyone requested his music - which made it much too difficult to disagree to. _They're all pretty excited about the new song.._

All around him the punks were muttering about it as Marshall tuned up the instrument given to him - which truly didn't suit him as well as the axe-guitar back home, the Prince caught himself thinking. The vampire king scanned the crowd with almost a look of worry until the Prince's eyes met his and the musician smirked, throwing a rave-sign to him which was quickly returned. From that point, Marshall stole the mike and began playing and singing away.

The tune was familiar, one he'd heard the vampire humming on the way to the party when it had gotten too quiet for them both to take. It sounded a bit like his other songs as well, but once the lyrics came he was surprised.

**La da-duh-duh-daa**

**I'm gonna bury you in the ground~**

**La da-duh-duh-daa**

**I wanna bury you in my sound~**

**I'm gonna- Drink the red-**

**From you're pretty pink face~**

**I'm gonna-**

**Oh. So ya' like that?**

**Or do you just like me~?**

Marshall almost seemed to be blushing - though differently from his un-dead skin. His cheeks had tinted to a lightish-green, making the grey look more radiant as he sang and made eye-contact with Gumball in the crowd, drifting above all of them as he strummed away. The Prince swore that he'd heard more emotion from just these few lyrics than he'd gotten from the vampire in either of their long lives.

**I really wanna treat you like a God~**

**Is that what you want me to do?**

**I wish that I could treat you like your perfect-**

**Like all your little loyal subjects do!**

**Sorry, I'm not made of sugar-**

**And I'm not sweet enough for you-**

**I hate that you always avoid me.**

**I must be such an inconvenience to you!**

Prince Gumball stood in the crowd, dumbstruck. _This sounds so familiar, even from before tonight. Is he singing about.. us?_ Gumball had wide-eyes as his eyes glued to Marshall's nearly pained face as the vampire sang his heart out - the crowd nearly silent as they excitedly hung on every word as well.

**Well~**

**I'm just your proooblem! Well-**

**I'm just youuur probleeem!**

**It's like I'm- Not even a person-**

**Am I? No, no..**

**Well, I~ Shouldn't have to justify what I do!**

**And I~ Shouldn't have to prove anything to you!**

**I'm sorry that I exist-**

**I fear it's what landed me on your blacklist~**

**Well, I~ Should have to be the one that wakes up with you!**

**But- Why do I waaant to?**

**Why do I want to~?**

**I don't have a clue! I'm asking you!**

**Why do I want to~?**

By this point, with Gumball's thoughts still questioning if the song was for him or them or whoever was in Marshall's thoughts, the pink prince was blushing deeply. One hand gripped the shirt Marshall had given him tightly, over his heart as his breathing quickened. He felt odd, like he couldn't breathe, but he had enough oxygen - like he couldn't think, but his thoughts were going a mile a minute. _What's wrong with me? This hasn't happened before, what..?_

The Prince's eyes were still stuck on Marshall's form who kept singing away, pain and emotion and longing carved onto his face along as within every word that came from him. He was feeling light-headed as he tried to listen, stumbling back as he went to pick up his drink - hoping it would clear his head as he tried to keep listening.

**'Cuz I~ Didn't mean to push all my love away~**

**But I'm~ Just your problem..~**

Gumball had made it to his drink, gulping down the contents before the song had even finished. Instead of the result he'd hoped for, it seemed to make it worse - his mind and vision slowly going fuzzy. Someone beside him asked if he was alright, oddly no concern in his voice. The Prince tried to reply but his mouth felt dry and he was cotton-mouthed as he slumped down to the floor, hands trying to pick him up. _Wait- I don't know you. Where's Marshall? Is he still singing? Singing about us..?_

None of his questions were answered as he was half-picked up and half-dragged towards the door, as his fuzzy vision had caught. Then he was dropped harshly and he heard what sounded like Marshall yelling - though he couldn't tell to whom, or what he was yelling about. The Prince's head hurt, and he tried to focus his eyes to see. All he saw was Marshall, eyes glowing red as he punched the man who'd helped him in the face and then float over to the fallen Prince, hovering in front of his face and mouthing a question before Gumball's vision and hearing finally went completely, leaving him in silent darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

The vampire king sat at the end of a pink bed, worriedly resting his head in both grey hands as he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to recall what had happened last night. From what he remembered in his vague thoughts - he'd been singing his latest song, one he'd wrote thinking of the Prince who was now resting beside him, when he'd finished and saw that Bubba had been gone from where the vampire had seen him last.

When he looked around, he saw a man holding Bubba in his arms - the Prince looking sick and confused as he was pulled towards the door - with a discarded can on the ground that he knew his crush had been drinking. Even if he knew the gig was safe, there were always creepers going around, doing whatever they could to get laid or do something worse than what the freak holding his crush had in mind. Without even thinking and going into panic - at that point it was where his thoughts got almost illegible. He recalled yelling and sudden anger, Gumball on the floor along with the guy who then had a bleeding nose, then picking up Bubba and floating to the Candy Kingdom at the speed of light, calling for Peppermint Maid to help him.

Once he'd recollected his thoughts, he was a lot more relieved than sickened. He wanted to literally kill the guy who almost hurt Bubz, but he felt content knowing he could at least help the prince before he was even considerably close to being endangered.

There was a shifting beside him and he went invisible without thinking, not knowing how to talk to Bubba yet. He'd saved him, but if the Prince caught on to what he was singing about - then along with the questioning about what had happened, he wouldn't have any answers that could possibly get a good review from the pink royal. A groan escaped from pink lips as Gumball sat up in his bed, looking around with the same confused expression from last night. The first word to come out of the prince's mouth was a surprise to him.

"Marshall?" Prince Gumball called wearily, looking around the room. He must have heard the vampire's intake of breath, because there was no way he'd been able to see past his best skill. "Marshall, I know you're there.." The vampire king hesitated for a moment before removing his spell and smiling at Bubba carefully.

"Hey Bubz. How ya' feelin'?" he asked, floating over and resting a hand on his forehead. The Prince pouted.

"Out of anything else, I know I'm not ill, Marshall. But I would like to know what happened last night.." Gumball proclaimed, glancing out his window to see the curtains shut - though it was probably an hour or two before noon came around. Marshall scratched his neck lightly, looking at the floor as he floated.

"A guy from the party drugged your soda. He tried to leave with you - but I punched the glob out of him and brought you home." Marshall said honestly, worried that Bubba would be mad with him. "That doesn't usually happen at the parties I go to - honest! If I knew that would happen, I wouldn't have invited you to-"

"Marshall!" The vampire king looked up, realizing that Bubba had been trying to get his attention for the last minute. "Marshall, I'm not mad. There was no way you could have known someone like that was coming too. It's not your fault. Besides, I was careless - I could have gotten another drink, but I didn't." Prince Gumball said simply, sounding like his usual logical self again.

"But something could have happened! You could have been hurt or killed - and that guy could have-!" the vampire cut off, turning even paler than usual as he covered his face, getting a headache and feeling sick himself. A hand rested on his knee - the vampire floating too high for the Prince to reach his shoulders - and Marshall opened his eyes to look at him.

"Marshall.. I know you were worried. I'm fine now, and thanks to you, nothing happened. I'm grateful for that." Bubba said with a kind smile, showing him the most positive attention he'd gotten since the two met. Marshall took a deep breath and nodded, slowly moving down until he was sitting on the edge of Prince Gumball's bed. The two stayed that way for a few moments in silence, just letting the both of their thoughts calm down. Gumball was the one to break it first.

"I liked your performance last night - it was mathematical!" the pink prince praised, though he sounded a bit embarrassed.

"Thanks - I worked hard on the song.." Marshall mumbled, the blush from last night returning at some point. Gumball smiled wider and agreed, though they soon lapsed into silence again. After an unbearably long silence, the prince broke it once more.

"Marshall, who.. did you write your song about? I'm just curious.." Prince Gumball muttered, looking at the hands folded over his lap. Marshall shifted where he sat, then stood up.

"Hey Bubz, I just remembered that I forgot to feed Schwabelle last night. I need to go do that before she gets too hungry and kicks the dust again. Mind if I borrow an umbrella to get home?" the vampire king asked, looking over his shoulder at the prince while he headed for the door. He didn't enjoy being ignored, but nodded, pointing to the closet for Marshall to retrieve one.

He stayed quiet while Marshall opened it and floated to the window, grabbing hold of the curtain before hesitating. "Hey Bubz.. Call me Lee from now on, alright?" With that, the vampire slid the curtains open and pushed out the window, heading off towards his cave where he could clear his mind and be alone until he could handle the other's presence once more.


	6. Chapter 6

Prince Gumball sat in the foyer, doting on his people who were coming to him with problems to fix. _They act like I know everything. I'm only one person.. Though I do suppose those studies I did for the longest time did give me plenty of knowledge to help them._ He smiled lightly at that, though he tried to focus on what they were requesting as he mingled in his thoughts for a moment. Apparently some of the Hug Wolves have returned to Aaa, having been from a different source than the one Fionna had slayed months ago, and were on a rampage in a village close to theirs.

"Calm down, everyone. This is nothing our best protector cannot handle. The Hug Wolves will once again be of no worry to any of us - sit tightly." he said in his most authoritative voice. He thought he sounded completely idiotic from using it, but it always seemed to put his people and guards at rest so he ignored the feeling and channeled it when needed. A few more citizens came in, most of the group had been for that one purpose and filled half his foyer with their babbling concern before leaving after his last tiny speech about safety.

Once the last concerned citizen left his palace, feeling much more relieved than when they had arrived obviously, Prince Gumball took a deep breathe and stood from his thrown - heading immediately to his room. "I love my people, but glob are they helpless! If I left they would all explode. I'm sure of it.." he mumbled to himself, realizing he'd began to speak to himself in the past few months. He internally sighed, deciding to keep the muttering to himself in his mind.

_Just call Fionna, ask her to get rid of them again, and take a nap. That's ALL I need to do right now._

The prince soon found a holo-cube connected to Fionna's and contacted it, waiting for her to answer. After a moment the image of her was projected and she smiled at him, exclaiming a greeting. "Hello Fionna. It appears I'm in need of assistance again.." he started awkwardly, seeing Cake in the background snickering while Fionna combed her hair with her small fingers.

"Alright, cool. What ya need PG?" she asked with her usual enthusiasm. Gumball smiled, finding that he did tend to like this side of her a tad more than the rest. She was always so happy to help, even though she knew perfectly well that it put her into dangerous situations where something could go wrong without caution.

"The Hug Wolves are back. My people are worried, since they're closer than before, and I was hoping you could tend to them like last time. It shouldn't be hard, now that you've handled them before." the Prince said brightly, watching her look of surprise and then excitement.

"Yeah! I'll help ya' no problem. I'll have those wolves out of there before ya can blink PG!" the human announced, giving a mock salute to him before cutting the call short. Normally he would have found it a bit rude, but since he just wanted to lay down and relax at the moment anyway, he found it quite welcome. With that thought, he removed some of his royal attire, about to go lay on his bed when he noticed a new flower on his dresser and the candle from before once again lit, giving off it's abnormal and welcome aroma.

The prince found himself a bit apprehensive, especially after what had almost happened at Marshall's party last week. The onslaught of emotion the prince had gotten just from remembering everything that happened and then what had occurred after made him feel ill, but he pushed it away - just focusing on the present.

Gumball walked to the flower, picking it up and sniffing it lightly to smell it's scent mixed with the candle's. "Marshall had these flowers at his house, but.. There's no way he could have actually gotten them for me, right? I mean, he didn't even say anything when I pointed them out to him.." the prince mumbled to himself, not caring since it was in the confines of his own room. He sighed softly, setting the flower down gently. "I'm reading into it too much. He obviously doesn't like me - he wouldn't answer my question and then doesn't show up to even scare me for a whole week." he huffed, moving back to his bed.

He'd gotten under the covers, pulling the comforter over his head as he thought. _Why does it bother me that he hasn't come back? All he'd do is return my umbrella, tease me about something or other and then move on and possibly hang out with Fionna and Cake. Nothing new.. Then why am I still hung up on it?_

It had re-occurred to him since that night that he'd considered Marshall liking him - also that, besides the slight panic attack it had brought on, he hadn't minded the thought. They fought and teased each other constantly, never quite seeing eye-to-eye on anything, but when the other was around he felt a bit lighter. More alive, more free, more.. real and human. It was up-lifting just to see him come in with that smirk he'd always had on, even if it was after having pulled a prank on him.

And as usual, just after the thoughts come and brighten his mood a bit, they come full-force and bring just as much frustration. They were both royalty, and royalty were meant to wed. But they were also both male, and that hasn't occurred in his kingdom - and surely not Marshall's father's - in all of his time ruling. _It's unnatural. If I was to come out and tell my people, especially about the male I **picked **they would surely all fall into dismay. I'd lose their respect - I'd lose my title - I'd lose most or all of my friendship.._

_And if I'm wrong about everything and ask Marshall of this - I could lose him as well.._

To stop himself from becoming anymore depressed and down in his thoughts, he closed his eyes completely and just focused on the smell of the candles and the thoughts that didn't bring him such pain. Memories of the times he'd shared with Marshall in the past, and hope for them to continue as planned.


	7. Chapter 7

Marshall floated around his living room, strumming away on his axe-guitar and singing his latest song, recording it for an album his friends asked him to make of it. He didn't really feel like it, but it kept him busy for the week he'd been avoiding the Candy Kingdom. It was harder to do than he thought, nearly drifting there when he spaced out - wanting to go chat with Bubba or give him a little scare in his life- the vampire hadn't even been going to visit him every night. The last time he was there had been earlier in the day, deliberately picking a time he knew the prince would be busy with **something** and relighting the candle he'd put, along with leaving another half-life rose in his wake.

He ended the recording session and set down his guitar, thinking he'd recorded more than enough for the album and deciding to get back to editing it later. He felt drained just from singing, which let him know that something was actually gnawing at him. Usually he could think something bothered him, but once he began singing it melted away to nothing. This time, however, the feelings stayed right with him and didn't waver in their place.

It was troublesome, but it let him know he was still alive in some way. _Well, as alive as a vampire can be, I guess._ Marshall sighed, running his gray hand through black hair and thinking hard about what to do. From his perspective, he only had two options. Go to Prince Gumball and tell him everything, or go to Gumball and act as he normally would, ignoring the whole thing for as long as possible. He stayed floating above his couch for a good hour, thinking over the two options. Finally, he straightened himself up.

"I'm Marshall Lee, king of the vampires and heir to the Night-o-Sphere. I don't run from anyone, including Bubz and myself!" he shouted, startling his sleeping zombie-cat who was laying on the floor beside the couch, the closest anyone or thing would come to sitting on the uncomfortable lump of fabric. He went to his room, throwing on some more fitting clothes and slipping them on - a combination of ripped shirt, dark blue jeans, high-tops and fingerless gloves - before floating out of his house and cave with all speed he could muster. _Thank glob it's been cloudy all week._

He finally caught sight of the kingdom and returned to his invisible state. The vampire king flew up to Gumball's window, peaking in through the curtains a bit to see a sleeping form beneath the sheets, only hot pink hair visibly sprawled out among the sheets. The vampire king swiftly made his way inside, swinging open the windows silently before shutting them and closing the curtains, just in case the sun decided to come out while he tried to have their little heart-to-heart moment.

_Alright here goes.. Globbit, why did I not think of what to say before I got here!?_ Truth be told, the vampire had been too focused on not backing out that he hadn't thought of what he was exactly going to say to the now-sleeping prince. He just knew he had to say something. He looked over to see his candle still lit, along with the rose beside it withering quicker than normal from being near the flame and crisping up. He moved the flora away just a bit, so it might stay living for just a bit longer though he knew it was technically already dead without it's source of food and water.

He sighed softly, which seemed to alert the sleeping Prince. "Peppermint Maid.. Can I have some water please?" the prince mumbled, shifting under the blankets and burying his face in his pillow, not looking up. Marshall hesitated before smirking a bit and making an indistinguishable noise before heading to the bathroom door and filling up a plastic cup he'd found in there, floating his way over to the prince.

"Alright, but I didn't think I was quite feminine enough to pass for a maid~" Marshall said in a smug voice, seeing Gumball jerk himself up to look with wide eyes at the vampiric royal that had found himself in his room. He stared for a minute, stuttering out Marshall's name for a moment and sitting up, covering himself with his sheets.

"Marshall! What are you doing here!? When did you get in my room!?" Bubba demanded, his cheeks being an even darker shade of pink than normal. Marshall just shrugged, reaching the water out to him with a grin.

"Not too long ago, probably 5 minutes. And didn't I tell you to call me Lee?" he teased, seeing Gumball regard him carefully before taking the water and sipping it, then setting it back down onto the bedside-table.

"Alright, _**Lee**_. Why did you come into my bedroom without permission?" Gumball asked more directly, just wanting an answer after being so rudely awakened - though he could have handled it with a bit more grace than he had. The vampire king looked at him for a minute, then took a deep breath as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Look, I have no way to say this - and I'm not even sure if I should tell you this or not, so here goes everything. I like you.. like, a whole lot more than friends and stuff." he said awkwardly, wincing internally from how stupid he must have just sounded. _I'm a globbin' king, why am I being all shy and stuff like a little girl?_

The prince in front of him looked taken aback, staring with wide eyes at the vampire hovering in front of him. "I don't.. understand.." the prince said slowly, making Marshall let out a soft noise in annoyance. He didn't know why, but the prince not getting what he was getting at just irked him. He floated closer to him, taking both of his hands and holding them tightly despite the look of surprise he received.

"We're both guys, and we always fight and stuff - I get why you have no idea what I'm talkin' about right now. But I'm serious, so don't blow me off or anything! I like you. More than acquaintances, more than friends, and a ton more than family. I like you like.. like a king and his queen, and stuff." Marshall was blushing now, his cheeks tinted green beyond belief and he just waited for rejection. He could accept it with ease, he doubted mentally, but he could move on as long as Gumball at least understood exactly how he felt about him.

The pink prince stared into the vampire's eyes for a moment, nodding slowly when he fully came to terms with what had been said. "I understand, Marshall. And Lee.." the prince hesitated, making the vampire sure he was about to be thrown out or at least politely declined - with how much he knew the prince and his tendencies. "I like you too." he finally said, making the king drop his hands in shock.

"You.. You're serious? You're not joking with me to make it worse when you throw me out or somethin', right? Even your not that cruel." the vampire said hastily. He didn't like tricks being pulled on him back, especially sick ones like that. The prince of the candy kingdom shook his head, smiling lightly.

"No, Lee, I'm serious too. I've been feelin' it since you took me to that party and I heard you sing.. Probably a long time before that actually.. You still never told me who that song was for." the prince pointed out near the end, really wanting to get a straight answer instead of his new assumption. Marshall let out a small chuckle, relief washing over him.

"The song was about us, Bubz. No one else." he replied, floating forward and embracing Bubba tightly in his arms. Gumball hugged him back, wrapping his arms around Marshall's neck and leaning his head on the taller boy's shoulder.

"Marshall, are you the one that left me that candle and those flowers?" the prince asked softly, smiling into the vampire's shirt. Said vampire chuckled, but nodded his head.

"Yeah, I did.. Sorry if it was weird and stuff, I just didn't know how to give them to you in person when I didn't know I liked you yet."

The prince just hummed softly, wrapping his arms tighter. "Why did you pick those things to give to me, though? Flowers are common and sweet, but why the candle?"

Marshall thought for a minute, trying to put his reasoning into words. "Well.. I thought it suited you best." he said simply, though he tied together an explanation when he got a questioning look from his crush - boyfriend? "You're always so bright and cheerful. You're also really fierce and funny, when you need to be. When I think about it - you've always been my light in the dark. When I was upset and stuff, even if you didn't like me at the time, you still put things out of your way to help me out and you always gave me something to look forward to.. Sorry I sound stupid, I usually don't talk to anyone this much." Marshall had started blushing more around the time he'd started to babble and he held Gumball tighter, hoping the prince wouldn't see it and laugh.

"Thank you, Lee.. For everything~" the prince quipped, letting the - his?- vampire think he didn't know he was blushing for the time being. "Care to lay with me? I don't have anything scheduled for another few hours, at least." Marshall took the offer with no hesitation, sliding off his shoes and gloves before crawling into bed beside Bubba and getting comfortable.

The prince pressed himself against the taller royal and sighed softly, breathing in his scent as Marshall did the same with his face nuzzled into soft, bubblegum hair. They stayed like that, embracing and enjoying their time together in silence until they both fell soundly asleep in the prince's bed.


End file.
